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Jin was interned at a labor reform camp called a May 7th
Cadre School in Jilin Province from 1966 to 1973. The schools were actually
prisons where all freedoms and movement were restricted. Regardless of
the wide smiles of the subjects in the painting, the piece depicts the
harsh climate of Jilin Province. A photo of Mao was used because it was
too risky to paint or sketch Mao, illustrating the precarious position
Jin and other artists found themselves in during this period. Failure
to depict Mao in an approved manner would lead to severe criticism. |
